The summer day is mild and the rains have even paused to allow the sun to peek its head out. Haydée happily splashes through the big puddles of water that have been left behind, her body is covered in mud and the little pup could not be happier. Joyful laughter fills the air as she goes, jumping from puddle to puddle with all the happiness of just being… alive. Danger stalks the small girl as she plays; death watches her with wide hungry eyes from the tree line nearby.

But Haydée does not notice, she does not even give danger a second thought since she is in pack lands. No one would dare to hurt her here… right? Hunger makes the large tiger care less about borders and more about the gnawing hole that is its stomach. It is a born hunter, sliding through the shadows that the trees throw with all the easy of lifetime spent in them. As the small pup jumps into a huge puddle, she unknowingly puts her back toward the waiting predator and gives it the invitation that the stalking predator needs to strike.

Pain laces the girl’s neck as the tiger rushes out from hiding, its skinny sides fully visible to the world, and grabs hold of her scruff. Haydée screams in fear and pain as the creature turns around, ready to race away from the wolves land with the pup in his jaws. Tears stream down her cheeks as she screams for her mother, terrified where moments before, she had been laughing with joy.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Forming Ethne, and bringing her family here, had felt like one of the best decisions the woman had ever made. She felt like they were safe here and like her children could play without fear. And, for the most part, the woman had been right. Holding borders, and chasing off other predators, had given her children a sense of safety. But without enough adults to rotate regular patrols she should have known better than to believe that the time of peace would last. All it would take is one desperate predator crossing their borders to look for an easy meal. The pups and even Gavroche and Lucette would be easy targets. But Bellamy would not be ready that day when trouble arose. The woman had spent some time with her companions that morning, making use of the good weather to plan some future training for the children, as well as test herself a bit, but as she came back across the lands of the Falls the laughter she had expected to hear was not the sound that reached her ears. A scream, a scream of terror and pain cuts across the land, and before Bellamy even fully processes why the scream may have occurred she breaks into a run. She tears through the undergrowth below the trees, her ears falling flat against her skull as her heart begins to pound. The scream came from a child. One of her children. In seconds Bellamy realizes one in danger is Haydée. Another second later and her little one screams for her, and Bellamy’s heart sinks in her chest, a part of her praying to the Divinities above she wouldn’t be too late. But there is another feeling swiftly overcoming the older woman. Rage bubbles up within her like the magma of a volcano, ready to erupt at any second. Her gaze, narrowed, becomes harder, and the craving to hurt, to embrace another in the dance of death, of a battle until one moved on, was rising. It wasn’t just pure malice, no, but the wrath of an angry and unforgiving mother. One who would ensure that whoever dared try to shift in a hair on her child wouldn’t have a second chance. Bellamy exploded from the trees and the male tiger that had grabbed her tiny daughter had no chance to escape as she came from the direction he’d been planning to turn. Hell, he’d barely had time to properly turn before a guttural, feral snarl erupted from Bellamy’s lips and she made contact with his back left leg. His stumble was just the first consequence, barely able to register what had plowed into him as Bellamy wasted no time in clamping her jaws down on his thigh. There was no holding back, no mercy, as her jaws sank into flesh with all of her bite force. The cat yowled in pain, and, as a consequence, dropped the poor pup he’d thought to make an easy meal of. Bellamy didn’t recognize that her little one was let go, however. She was gone, her gaze glazed over as she tore through the flesh of the big cat even as it rounded on her. The woman released the beast’s hip to snap her jaws toward its oncoming attack. Claws sliced across her foreleg below the shoulder but she didn’t even flinch, didn’t respond to the pain. This tiger had made the last mistake of its life by attacking her baby… and by the time she’d be done with it, its hide wouldn’t be useful for much more other than a patchy, heavily damaged rug. "Talk, 'Think.'

The tiger moves through the trees at breakneck speed trying to get away with its snack while Haydée screams for her mother to save her. Fear grips her heart but she does not stop screaming, knowing that the noise will help whoever is coming, to find them better. Tears stream down her cheeks and suddenly, her mother appears in front of them. Relief floods the girl at her mother’s approach but they are shifting, the tiger turning in an attempt to bypass the towering wolf and escape. A sound, unlike anything she has ever heard before, erupts from her mother’s lips as the pup blinks wide, terrified eyes.

Bellamy lunges in, attacking the tiger with a ferocity that Hay has never seen in her short life. Pain is inflicted on the attacking feline and it opens its mouth to yowl which releases Haydée in the process. Small body tumbles to the ground, rolling into the underbrush where she comes to stop, slightly dazed. The sounds of her mother fighting the tiger helps to sharpen her mind and the pup rolls over and gathers her paws under her. A wave of dizziness strikes and she shakes her head to clear it, sending blood to splatter against the bright green leaves around her. Her neck is on fire and she idly thinks that she is losing a lot of blood for such a small being.

Tilting her head back, the pup releases a call for her father and for fighters to rally on her. Not wanting to leave her mother fighting the tiger alone, Haydée emerges from the underbrush and finds her mother is bleeding from her foreleg. Anger takes hold and she launches her small form toward the fight, racing in to jump up and bite a clawed paw that is aiming for her mother. The tiger seems unperturbed by her attack and merely shakes her off his paw but it gives her mom an opening. She falls back to the earth, darting away and back into the foliage as she readies for her next attack. Hopefully, they can end this fight soon because she is suddenly very tired.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Bellamy had lost herself. She became the beast she’d been trained to be, a killer who responded with ruthless attacks and no sense of mercy. She had yet to register that her daughter was “okay”. All the woman knew was that she had heard Haydée’s screams, the terror that filled her, and the woman’s vision faded to red as she tore into the one who would dare try to harm her little one. Even as the fight rages on, fangs and claws both tearing into her opponent and scoring against her, Bellamy doesn’t register the pain. The truly berserk style of fighting the woman was known for in her youth shines through and she doesn’t allow her opponent any opportunity to try and flee. Her sole focus is on the tiger, not even recognizing the species of her opponent, only that it must bleed. It must bleed, and it must die. She can’t give it another chance. Chunks of flesh are torn and fur flies and, as Bellamy fights, she does become aware of movement coming toward the tiger. Instinct screams at her to trust it, that the blur is a friend, and she does not change course to intercept it. Instead, the blur of brown fur latches onto the paw of the beast before her, and, in the beast’s split focus, Bellamy sees the opening it has presented to her. Bellamy lunges for the tiger, knocking the scrawny beast from its paws. Even as it falls to the earth Bellamy’s jaws seek its neck. Fangs graze her cheek in a counter strike, but Bellamy uses a forepaw to tear the beast’s jaws away. She attacks again, this time brutally and without hesitation tearing the Tiger’s throat away from it. Yet, even with the Tiger dead, and as her companions come running, Bellamy does not stop. She tears into the beast, unaware of the tears that had formed in her eyes that now run down her cheeks. Unaware of the terror underneath the rage she was feeling. Terror for her daughter, and the fact that she could have lost her. Terror that, as she came back, would come crashing down around her. “Bells!” Ears calls out to the woman as he and Whiskers approach. They are aware of the state she is in, especially Ears, having stood alongside Bellamy through some of the darkest days of her life.He makes for the woman’s side, hoping to snap her back into reality while Whiskers makes a beeline for the woman’s daughter in the foliage.   Concern reflects in the badger’s eyes as she slows down. She can smell the blood from the fight, as well as the little one’s injuries and the strong scent of fear. Whiskers approaches the girl slowly, her voice soft, trying to soothe the pup even as Bellamy’s snarls rumble behind them. “Haydée, are you alright? It will be okay, little one… Come here next to me. I’m sure your father will be along at any moment.”[/color] But how hurt was the pup? She looked tired… but could that have just been from the stress of the ordeal? "Talk, 'Think.'

Resting in the cave behind the waterfall alongside James, Gavroche had been doing some reflecting. They had lost Jessie, and the weight of that loss had especially been noticed by the pygmy marmoset that had been her partner in crime. It was strange experiencing the night without her… and the tiny winged man would openly admit he would miss her. But resting for longer was not on the agenda that day. A call for him, and fighters of the pack, rose across the air. But it wasn’t Bellamy… it was their daughter, Haydée. If that wasn’t concerning enough, there was an edge to her tone that had Gav scrambling to his paws in an instant. His heart sank into his stomach as he feared what he would find. Hay hadn’t called for her mother. Had something happened to Bells? Were they okay? James scrambled to his shoulders as the man slung his bag over his shoulder and raced out of the cave. On his way out, spotting his son Dorian, Gav called to the boy. “Dorian, come with me.” He had only just begun the process of teaching his son the healing arts, but this might be an even harder lesson for the sandy colored pup to learn. Gavroche prayed he was wrong, Divinities above let him be wrong, but he had a dark feeling that neither of them were going to like what they saw. Racing across the territory of the falls into the forested area Gavroche and his companion made haste to where Haydée, Bellamy, and his mate’s companions were already gathered. His worries grew, seeing Bellamy tearing into a freshly killed scrap of a tiger, but his attention was pulled away by Whiskers who gestured to the pup in the foliage. As much as Gav loved his mate, even he knew approaching her in this state would get them nowhere… and Whiskers seemed to be concerned… which only increased his own worry as he got to Hay’s side. He dropped the bag, a soft whimper escaping him as he moved to lick at the bite wound on the back of her neck. He hadn’t heard her cries. She could have been stolen away… gone. And they would have never known what had become of her. That feeling made him feel sick, his body quivering. But he couldn’t focus on the what ifs. His mate had come to their daughter’s rescue, and although she was brutally mauling the corpse of the feline, the winged man could not blame her for her rage. Right now treating their injuries would be essential, and evaluating Hay. He didn’t doubt that she would be suffering shock from the experience, as well drain from being injured. He wasn’t sure if Dorian had come with him but, for now, the man worked on gently cleaning the injury and blood in a soothing, repetitive motion. With any luck at all the action could help calm Haydée as well. While Gav focused on cleaning the wound James had already begun pulling out some agrimony and lavender. While willow bark could have been an option, he was sure the man would have wanted to use the safer option for the wound his daughter had. There was also boneset in the bag for later too, should the girl develop a fever from the injury. The marmoset brought the spring of lavender before the pup, peering up at her. "Breathe the scent of this flower in, Haydée. It will help keep you relaxed." "Speech" 'Thought.'

Dorian played along the path that led from their den and around the back of the waterfall, watching the water rushing by and tossing little pebbles into the fast moving water to watch them disappear into the pool below. It seemed to be a fairly calm and lazy day as he lingered near the den, knowing his father was still inside. He was hoping that perhaps they could do another lesson or some practice together once he got up, but Dorian also wasn't really in any hurry. After his little tussle with the floppy eared woman near the border he had been sticking pretty close to the den and mostly just being happy that he hadn't been caught or gotten in trouble for going over the border.

However, the peaceful day was abruptly changed when he heard his sister's howl, Haydée's voice sounding so scared and worried as she called for help and fighters. It made him jump to his paws with a soft gasp, listening for a moment as he froze in place. Was he supposed to go? He barely called himself a fighter. What if he ended up in the way more than helping? His hesitation and uncertainty was quickly answered as their father hurried out of the den, telling him to follow as he rushed out to answer the call. "Okay," he answered and while he still wasn't sure of what role he'd play in this he did as his father said and ran out after him, following in his foot steps as they went to find Haydée and see what was going on.

As they ran through the forest, he was hit with that strong scent of blood and very quickly he saw where it was coming from. It looked like there was blood everywhere, all over the ground and his mother from the tiger that he almost didn't recognize as a tiger any more. If it wasn't for the pieces of striped fur and flesh it probably wouldn't have been immediately obvious. The scene as a whole turned his stomach a bit, but he swallowed hard and continued to follow his father until they found Haydée with Whiskers. His ears fell back against his head when he saw the huge bite on the back of her neck, or at least it seemed huge compared to any of the other wounds he had seen so far in his short life.

It was easy to get overwhelmed by it all–seeing his mother so enraged while standing among the remnants of a huge cat, seeing his sister hurt and scared, watching as his father went to start treating her and seeing how he trembled... But he remembered his and Haydée's promises at the bonfire and he took a breath as he went over to join her, his expression growing more resolute as he laid down with her for a moment, gently pressing his nose to her cheek. "No more fear, right?" he said to her softly, giving her a little, reassuring smile. He glanced up at their father for a moment as he and James started pulling out various herbs, most of which he had seen before but was having a hard time remembering exactly in the heat of the moment, before he instead shifted his gaze toward their mother.

He got up since he knew his dad would be taking care of Haydée and while he certainly could have watched and learned from how he was treating the bite wound on her neck, he was too worried about their mom to focus. "Mom?" he called as he took a few steps toward her, looking toward her worriedly with his ears pulled back. He didn't understand entirely what was happening, but he had never seen her like this and he really didn't want her to cry any more. "You have some scratches and bites too... Can I patch them up for you?"

"Dorian"

They fight the tiger, mother and daughter fearing for each other as the battle draws on. Hay is thrown clear of the tiger and her mother and she darts underneath some foliage as she readies her next attack. The fear that had seized her brain moments before quickly turns to anger and the emotion burns hot in her veins. How dare this tiger come onto their lands and try to carry her off! How dare it make her mother come and rescue her! Lips pull back as her legs wobble from the uncontrollable rage that has taken over her mind.

With a loud snarl, Haydée breaks free from her cover and rushes up to the feline, the fear that she had felt now etched into the dying cat’s face. Something akin to pleasure stirs in her belly at the sight and she moves to grab ahold of a flailing paw. Sharp puppy teeth sink deep into the tender pad and she pulls the creature’s limb out and to the side, allowing her mother more room to ravage the beast. The exhaustion she had felt flees before the enjoyment and excitement that taking revenge on the creature brings. Never again would the tiger hurt another and never again would she have to live in fear of it.

In its dying throes, the feline manages to knock Haydée away, send her careening back into the underbrush. A wave of dizziness grounds her and she lays on her side until the world stops spinning. By the time she regains her paws, she hers Whiskers calling to her and she slowly moves to join her mother’s badger companion. The exhaustion she had felt returns with a vengeance and she barely makes it to Whiskers before her butt finds the ground. Subtle tremors shake her small frame as everything that has happened in the last few minutes takes its toll.

Eyes find that her mother is destroying the carcass of the beast and a smile curls her lips upward as she leans into the badger. Soon her winged father is there and she crawls to him for comfort and wound cleaning. She does as instructed, breathing in the comforting scent of lavender before curling around one of his legs. A dopey smile is on her lips even as the tremors increase and sleep tugs her eyelids downward. Dorian is there too, offering comforting words and she nods to him, saying, “No more fear.”

Emerald eyes track her brother’s form as he moves to their mother and the corpse of what once was a tiger is. A yawn splits her maw followed by a wince as her father’s licking hits a rather sensitive area. With a content sigh, Haydée says, “No more fear. Never again.” A gentle hum fills the air as she looks at Dorian and their mother, realizing she is more angry than afraid of what happened.


"Haydée Kedieo"

It was dead and yet the woman continued to shake the beast at her paws. Seconds of reality slipped into her consciousness. Aware of Hay's assistance, the arrival of Ears, voices… Bellamy's ears were pinned, jaws clamped like a vice around the other predator. Don't let go. Don't let it rise. Her nostrils flared, tears slipping down her cheeks… she trembles. She kept her hold as if, the moment she let go, Hay would be in danger. All of them would be in danger. Shadows danced in her mind… memories… screams. She squeezed her eyes shut. Stop… A tiny voice within her pleads. She whines, releasing the tiger at last, taking shakey steps back.

Bellamy panted, opening her eyes. Dorian is the first thing she sees, his worried expression. Bellamy's breath catches in her throat, slipping back into reality. Her head whips around. Ears, Gav, James, Whiskers, Haydee… the woman exhales the heavy breath she didn't know she was holding and sank to the earth. Bellamy draws in deep breaths, trying to process the event… where she was. The reaction… the woman shakes her head back and forth as if she is trying to clear a fog and focuses back on her son. Her green gaze softens, the tender look of a mother her child would be more familiar with.

"Dori…" She speaks the nickname quietly. She lays her head down in the grass, keeping her eyes open, keeping them on her son. Everyone is safe… thank the Divinities. The tears well up even more as Bellamy's expression wavers between relief and sorrow. Ears frowns, speaking up again on behalf of Dorian and the words he spoke Bellamy missed the first time. "Your son wants to patch up your wounds, is that alright?" For the Devil, his tone is softer. It was happening again… Bellamy slipping. He glanced to Whiskers. The trigger seemed more likely to occur in high stress situations, when those she cared for could be in jeopardy. She lost herself… but only wanted to protect them…

Bellamy drew in a breath, trying to steady herself. Her babies needed her. She gives an awkward smile through her tears. "You can do that on your own? You're learning so much…" She shivers again. "Go ahead sweetheart. Show me what you've learned. Mama needs… to rest for a few minutes." She closes her eyes. Would the kids have questions about what happened…? How was this event going to affect their psyches?

Despite the tiger being slain… the weight of its presence weighed down on the Leader like a mountain.

She had to do better.

She would do better.

I can't lose them…